Tag (Line)!

Carolyn Elefant takes a shot at law firm tag lines in her blog My Shingle.com.  She comments on the list of really bad tag lines on Patrick McEvoy's site, Rainmaker Best Practices.com.   Both Elefant and McEvoy rightfully poke fun at the outrageously stupid tag lines adopted by some law firms.   Carolyn suggests that some firms used Magnetic Poetry to develop their tag lines.  I commented that Ross' Fishman's Automatic Tag Line Generator was the tool to use.

I have a love/hate relationship with tag lines.  Tag lines can be a great way to summarize what your firm/company is all about, such as HP's INVENT.  In a single word, HP communicates that it is innovative, creative, and on the edge.  Taglines can help an entity define it's brand and you can change it easier than a firm name.  Kodak's tag line:  "Keep it Digital.  Keep it Kodak" and "Keep it Forever.  Keep it Kodak" used to be "Share a Moment, Share a Life" and earlier, "Any Schoolboy or Girl can Make Good Pictures with the Brownie".   Each line captured Kodak's position and message at the time.

Businessweek has a good article on what makes a good tag line here.  "Got Milk?"  "Don't leave home without it" and "Just Do It." led their list of great tag lines.   

Most law firms, however, struggle to differentiate from their competitors, both in substance, and in marketing.  Of the Amlaw 200, most could honestly choose the tag line, "Big, Old and Good."  Instead, most design their tag line by committee, ending up with bland, do-nothing tags.  A tag should help differentiate, not make you look the same.  Unfortunately, most firms want to be everything to everybody, so they can't (or won't) claim a single differentiating point, such as, "All we do is IP".   If you claim to focus in one area or specialty, you alienate everyone else, so you end up with tag lines like "Trust.  Commitment. Integrity." or "Local Bla Bla, Global bla bla."  You're better off without a tag line.

The Businessweek article defines a good tag line as,

"A good tagline is not just a motto or a proverb or a saying or a long-winded mission statement. It's got to be fairly succinct -- usually seven or fewer words.

And it should reflect how your company is positioning itself vs. your competitors. It's taking the brand that you know really well and communicating its value to the world. A great tagline is like the exclamation point at the end of a 30-second elevator pitch."

I've found that law firm marketers only get consensus from partners on lousy tag lines.  They are the tag lines that say the least and are palatable to the most.  The edgy, meaty, meaningful lines that really help a firm be both memorable and different cause the most grief and rarely get approved.  You know you got a good one when 51%  of the partners like it.  You are better off without one that gets 90% approval. 

What really matters to buyers of legal services?  Do tag lines make a difference? 

In-house counsel want value.  Good legal work (Great isn't always needed), reliability, great service, and reasonable and predictable fees are important.  They want lawyers that care, and are cost-effective. 

I've always wanted to see a law firm differentiate on client service and claim a tag line like, "Lawyers that really give a sh**."   How about, "Great service or your money back."

Most buyers of legal services cannot name more than a few law firm tag lines, even though they may work with tens, or hundreds, of law firms.  If you use a tag line, make it great or forget it.